Practical Tips for Writing Popular Fiction

by Robyn Carr

A guide to the special demands of writing the genre fiction people most love to read, including romance, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, Westerns, suspense, historical, action/adventure and horror.

Genres: Writing

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

Robyn Carr is a RITA® Award-winning, eleven-time #1 New York Times bestselling author of over sixty novels, including the critically acclaimed Virgin River series and Sullivan's Crossing series. Robyn's new women's fiction novel, THE FRIENDSHIP CLUB, will be released in January 2024. The new hit Sullivan's Crossing TV series (season 1) inspired by Robyn's book series was released in the USA in the fall of 2023! Plus, season 5 of the worldwide fan-favorite Virgin River TV Series is now streaming on Netflix (July 2023) with two holiday episodes coming November 30, 2023. Both TV series have been renewed for another season!
Robyn is a recipient of the Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award 2016, and in 2017, VIRGIN RIVER was named one of the HarperCollins 200 Iconic Books of the past 200 years. Robyn currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit Robyn Carr's website at https://www.robyncarr.com/.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a useful guide for those who are compelled to write, but might not have achieved publication. It’s also helpful for those with two or three novels under their belts, but who still struggle with things like characterization, plot, and pacing. Carr’s opening chapter on getting started will be especially interesting for those who want to write but aren’t sure they have what it takes. She doesn’t pull any punches when she repeats throughout the book that writing is hard work, and she explains why.

Because the book was published in 1992, in some ways the quest for publication is a little dated as we now know how easily technology has made it to self-publish. However, this book is for writers who want to excel at the craft and continue learning throughout their careers. She offers some great tips, including choosing the right novel to study, and how to assess the author’s techniques.

The subtitle of this book says A guide to the special demands of writing genre fiction, including romance, mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, suspense… and so on. I was hoping to find more detail about specific techniques required for each genre, however, she only describes the different genres in a couple of pages. Still, I did learn some new things and found inspiration which helped with my own novel plotting. Since Carr’s writing tips still apply today, the book is definitely a worthwhile read.

[Lin Stepp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably only another writer, like me, or an aspiring writer would like this book. I like Robyn Carr's romance fiction ... and wanted to read about her ways of writing and thinking about writing. i enjoyed the beginning of the book telling about how she got into writing and finally got published. Carr rose in popularity in the 80s when romance writing was on an upswing. Her book chapter discuss prerequisites, selecting genre, constructing plot and character motivation, writing good dialogue, pacing ... with final chapters on revising finished drafts and studying your craft. I thought she went into too much detail giving examples of what she was talking about ... with examples from famous books, etc. These sections slowed the book down ... and I admit I skimmed through them to move on. The last chapter on truths about the writing life was one of my favorites ... where she basically explains that 'writing fiction and being creative is is hard work' ... and that you have to have guts and courage to do it. ... I can only add Amen to that.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Practical Tips for Writing Popular Fiction is by Robyn Carr. This is a more difficult book to read than her other books because it is nonfiction. I had to read it in small pieces. I found it dry and uninteresting. However, the ideas she covers are all great ideas. I think she could have made it more interesting though.
She goes through the steps of describing your novel, characterization, plot construction, motivation, dialogue, pacing, and revision. Then she has chapters on the study of fiction and creativity.
This is a book you will go to again and again as you reach each section and reread it. I didn't like the book very much but did find it to have some interesting ideas.